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Monday, June 17, 2019

Japanese police to get new, more secure holsters after series of attempts to snatch their guns

The
National Police Agency will introduce new pistol holsters in March designed to
prevent officers from being disarmed in hostile situations. | BLOOMBERG

Japanese
police to get new, more secure holsters after series of attempts to snatch
their guns

Kyodo

Jan
31, 2019

The
National Police Agency said Thursday it will introduce new pistol holsters in
March designed to prevent officers from being disarmed in hostile situations
following a series of such attempts.

The
new holsters, made of leather and resin, have improved features protecting the
pistol from being taken by force, but the NPA refrained from revealing specific
design details for security reasons.

As
a first step, a total of 6,000 new holsters will be distributed by the end of
March to prefectural police departments across the country, including in Tokyo,
Osaka and Toyama.

Additionally,
30,000 holsters are planned to be made available in the next fiscal year
starting in April, with the NPA earmarking ¥495 million for purchases and
distribution in its fiscal 2019 budget.

Along
with the introduction of the new holster, the NPA will revise the uniform code
for officers as well as rules concerning their use of guns, they said.

In
June, a former member of the Self-Defense Forces fatally stabbed a senior
officer at a police box in Toyama, stole his handgun and shot and killed a
security guard at a nearby school.

Last
week, a university student armed with a knife and hammer injured an officer at
a police station in Toyama. The student, who was arrested on the spot, told
investigators he tried to steal a gun so he could use it to take his own life.

It was designed and produced by Shin-Chuō Industries, later merged with Minebea.
"New Nambu" was named after Kijirō
Nambu, a notable firearm designer and the founder of the predecessor of
Shin-Chuō Industries. Approximately 133,400 have been produced since 1961. The
production was completed in the 1990s, but it is still one of the standard
firearms carried by law enforcement officials in Japan.